Acupuncture useful for anxiety in children

A pilot study carried out in Canada suggests that acupuncture may be useful in the treatment of paediatric anxiety. Twenty children with anxiety, aged 8 to 16, were randomised to either an acupuncture group or a waitlist control group. Participants received acupuncture sessions once per week for five weeks. Acupuncture points were selected individually for each participant at each treatment session based on TCM diagnosis and tenderness on palpation of Japanese hara points. Needling was combined with cupping and ear seeds where appropriate. After five weeks of treatment, anxiety was significantly lower in the acupuncture group compared with the waitlist group. Acupuncture was judged to be a safe and acceptable treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety.

This website requires cookies to provide all of its features. For more information on what data is contained in the cookies, please see our Privacy Policy page. To accept cookies from this site, please click the Allow button below.